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Justin Cole Commits to Denver

08/04/2016, 11:30am CDT

By USHL

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders forward Justin Cole commits to the University of Denver for 2016-17 season.

Photo By Dan Hickling/Hickling Images

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders forward Justin Cole announced his commitment to play college hockey at the University of Denver for the upcoming 2016-17 season. Cole made the announcement after a successful first USHL season scoring 25 points in 59 games, culminating in an Anderson Cup championship.

“My time in Cedar Rapids was the most difficult and the most rewarding time of my life,” said Cole. “I learned many valuable lessons from my coaches and also my teammates. All these challenges and lessons helped me earn the opportunity to attend college and also to continue to play hockey.”

The Bryn Athyn, PA native is a product of Vermont Academy (USHS) where he skated two seasons prior to the USHL. While at Vermont Academy, the forward scored 88 points in 61 games including 36 goals.

Cole joins a program in Denver led by former Dubuque Fighting Saints head coach Jim Montgomery, who won two Clark Cup championships while coaching in the USHL. Since taking over the program, Montgomery has led the Pioneers to back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four Tournament appearances including a Frozen Four Semifinals appearance last season.

“It’s a great story because this is what the United States Hockey League is all about,” said Cedar Rapids RoughRiders head coach Mark Carlson. “If you want to develop as a hockey player and person, this is the league to play in. Justin worked very hard since becoming a RoughRider 14 months ago, he has lived away from home, he has practiced and played against players in one of the top developmental junior leagues in the world on a daily basis.

“This is why he has developed, the league, the USHL. We are so proud of him and wish him all the best at Denver.”

Cole’s commitment gives the RoughRiders a total of 23 NCAA Division I college commits from their 2015-16 roster.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 14th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2015-16. A record 37 players were chosen in the 2015 NHL Draft and more than 375 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.